She waited while a few lords muttered to one another, but most of them remained riveted upon her.
“It is known that my father King Holland was a good and just king. He was the one who unified the provinces under the House of Arkadia and built this Grand Forum so that every lord might have a voice for his people.” Nods of approval. She waited till all was silent again. “If you were at the celebration of my birth, then you are aware he rejected Queen Morgrid’s demand that I, his only child, be betrothed to her son, Marius.”
No one made a sound. Not even Thorwald at her back, whose seething anger she felt like a burning fireball.
“Interestingly, this truth was kept from me till quite recently. All that I ever knew of my dear father was that he’d loved me. And he was killed by the hands of brigands when I was far too young. I never knew that love after he died. I was put under the care of Steward Thorwald.”
She flicked a hand over her shoulder without turning.
“He made sure I had the best of nursing care and I was kept far…far away from the rest of my kingdom. For my protection, he assured me.”
She heard the cynical twist of her words, but she cared not. They would hear it all. Right here. Right now.
“And so I was raised to be the perfect princess. Obedient. And silent. Awaiting the time when I would marry Prince Marius, since Steward Thorwald upheld the queen’s wishes that I should marry her son. Reminding you that this was against the wishes of your king before he was murdered.”
She couldn’t help but let her gaze flick to Mikhail. He remained steadfast, his gaze straight out toward the right of the hall, but his mere presence strengthened her still.
“I understand why none of you defied the placement of Thorwald at the helm of Arkadia. Queen Morgrid is a powerful force, the empress of our land. But I want to remind everyone here that your proper and true king did not want an alliance with the Glass Tower. Why? Because my father knew her evil would infect our land as soon as she held power over it.”
She paused, sweeping her gaze across the quiet auditorium.
“And so, understandably, you all accepted him as your ruler.”
She gestured a regal hand over her shoulder again.
“Even though he was in alliance with Queen Morgrid. When Prince Marius fled the Glass Tower to marry his human wife, Arabelle, of the Black Lily, defying his mother because he discovered she was the one infecting the land with sanguine furorem, the blood madness in the vampires killing rampantly at will, she blamed me for his betrayal. My punishment?”
She swept her gaze from one side to the next. No one moved.
“I was dragged back to Briar Rose, where my lady-in-waiting, my lifelong friend and blood host was murdered before my eyes. My only friend up till that point in my life. Her throat cut by Queen Morgrid’s right-hand man, Radomir. Then she was fed to his men like cattle.”
Her voice cracked with grief for Kathleen, but she held back all tears, wielding righteous anger in its stead.
“I was locked in my own tower in my own home and starved into a bloodless sleep.”
A few lords glanced and whispered low, nodding. Many had heard this rumor. It was nothing new. But they didn’t know what it was truly like.
“Being in a bloodless sleep is beyond any of your imagining. Beyond any nightmare you could possibly conjure. The constant gut-ripping pain in my abdomen from starvation wasn’t the worst of it. The paralysis wasn’t, either. The times where I could hear officers moving and talking in the chamber struck a new kind of fear in me. Can you imagine hearing men talk about the vulgar ways they could and would like to use your body while you lay prostrate and helpless? Never mind me. Can you imagine your own wives being in this helpless situation? Your daughters?”
Nervous shuffling and movement rippled along the rows of men. Mikhail’s shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t swivel or move his head an inch. Mina softened her voice but not the strength of her words.
“Thankfully, their fear of the queen’s command kept them at bay from using me unlawfully, but only because I was apparently to be saved as a prize for her son, King Dominik. Otherwise, I’m sure there would have been little left of me to save when the Bloodguard came to my rescue.”
Mina swept a hand toward the line of twenty men who’d accompanied her on this mission. The lords examined them more closely, realizing these were the mercenaries spoken of in many dark corners, but few had ever seen with their own eyes. They were indeed a formidable force, even when only half were standing here. Their expressions and demeanors fiercer than any troop of Legionnaires.
“Yes. Five of the Bloodguard saved me and killed all but a few of King Dominik’s Legionnaires.”
Gregoravich turned to her and held up three fingers, winked, then faced front again. She smiled.
“Correction. All but three men. From there, I was taken to safety in the home of Sienna of Silvane Forest.”
“She’s a witch! Burns men alive!” yelled Steward Thorwald.
A sharp crack. By the time Mina turned her head, Rathbone stood over Thorwald, slumped forward on the bench, Rathbone palming his fist.
His glare swept up the rows of lords. “I declare Steward Thorwald, who is in service to Queen Morgrid and not in service to this realm of Arkadia, to be unfit for his position as lead counselor. Do you agree, Lord Maksim?”
The gruff reply was swift from the steely-eyed man at Rathbone’s right. “Agreed.”
With a stiff bow, Rathbone said, “Please continue, Your Highness.” He straightened his waistcoat and resumed his place.
Mina swallowed hard, realizing what Rathbone had just done for her. He’d publicly denounced the steward of their land, not to mention punched him unconscious. He, the man whose voice and opinions everyone respected above all others, had just declared the steward no longer trustworthy. And the second high counselor, Lord Maksim, had concurred, removing the steward from their trust and their counsel. This meant any allies Thorwald held in the room would be committing political suicide to stand with him now.
Clearing her throat, she continued. “Sienna has been bestowed with a gift from the hartstone, it is true. And she’s not burned one innocent man alive, only the vampires set upon her forest to do her harm along with those she loves. That includes Nikolai, former lieutenant to the Glass Tower’s Royal Guard. I was also under the protection of the Black Lily. They’ve all allied together against the army the queen and her son are amassing.”